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Several hundred Occupy Portland demonstrators still in Chapman and Lownsdale squares Saturday night appeared ready to resist a 12:01 a.m. deadline to leave the parks or risk arrest.

During a general assembly meeting, hundreds gathered around a statue in Lownsdale Square to discuss tactics for the night's standoff. Many visitors from other branches of the nationwide Occupy Wall Street movement, including Seattle and Salem, showed up to support the campers Saturday evening. Some said they intend to stay past the midnight deadline.

"I'd prefer not to get arrested because it's my birthday today, but if I have to, I will," said a Seattle protester who called himself Jackson.

Hundreds of Portlanders came from home to support the campers who have occupied Chapman and Lownsdale squares since Oct. 6.
During an evening meeting to reach a consensus on how to peacefully resist arrest, the general assembly approved a suggestion to band together in Chapman Square. A smaller group will occupy Terry Shrunk Plaza.
A lawyer from the National Lawyers Guild, speaking via phone to the protesters, said police would file federal charges against anyone in the plaza after midnight. Those in Chapman and Lownsdale will face municipal charges. Lawyers instructed protesters to write the organization's phone number on their arm in case they were jailed.

A man named Red circulated the camp passing out zip ties, urging demonstrators to attach themselves to poles, posts and one another "so it takes longer for them to arrest you."

Red said he planned to switch to medic duties later, passing out water for demonstrators to flush their eyes in the event of tear gas.

Some police had zip ties tied to their waists, as well, presumably to assist in arresting protesters.

Portland police Chief Mike Reese wandered through the protest at about 9 p.m. and said he was pleased with the campers' progress to break down their operations.

"We're telling officers they should be patient and professional," Reese said. "It's in our interest to have a very peaceful resolution." There was a strong message of passive resistance among the vast majority of demonstrators, but a contingent said they would fight back if police used excessive force.

Police meanwhile, began checking backpacks of everyone entering the two downtown parks that have housed the protest encampment for the past five weeks, looking for rocks or other weapons as they prepared for possible arrests.

Most of the tent city in the two parks had been disassembled, but some campers continued to dismantle tents and move belongings ahead of the midnight eviction. Others hunkered down inside tents, vowing not to leave until police forced them out.

"I'm going to stay here and I'm going to serve coffee until they arrest me," said Elijah Hoffman, 16, who spent much of the day dispensing cups of hot coffee in the wind and steady drizzle. He said is isn't sure what to expect between demonstrators and police.

"Everyone here is autonomous. They do what they want."
Some who folded up their tents and tarps said they were leaving for good, worried about the possibility of trouble or even violence if police decide to enforce the 12:01 a.m. deadline set by Mayor Sam Adams for leaving the parks. Others vowed to continue the protest, but didn't want to lose their gear.

Occupy organizers and city officials seemed pleased with what they saw as an overall spirit of cooperation among the demonstrators and other hangers-on.

"A few people are itching for a fight, but we have to make sure we don't let a few people spoil this," said Portland city Commissioner Nick Fish, who spent several hours at Chapman and Lownsdale squares, Ground Zero for the Occupy Portland protests.

Organizers said they want to keep Occupy Portland going, and have called for a rally at noon today in Pioneer Square to discuss the movement's future. The movement's daily 7 p.m. general assembly meeting is scheduled to happen, too, but demonstrators haven't settled on a location.

Fish, who has responsibility for city parks, said the city "flooded" the parks with social service staff to help find shelter for homeless who had taken up residence in the camp, and had sent in a fleet of trucks to scoop up debris and haul it to the dump.

There were signs of tension, however, among some inside the parks. A handful cursed and taunted the dozens of police officers, who stood on each corner and patrolled the sidewalks that crisscross the parks.

Police took one man into custody after he punched another camper in the head in view of officers and other protesters.
At nearby Schrunk Plaza, activist Joe Keating was leading a "non-violent arrest" workshop with a few dozen protesters. Keating helped coach them on what to do if they were arrested, including reminders not to have illegal drugs or anything that might be construed as a concealed weapon on them.

"You could be exposing yourself to many other problems," Keating said.

Protest organizers were busy working to ensure safety of their fellow demonstrators.

"It is going to be, for the most part, orderly" predicted Patrick Johnson, who spent Saturday morning setting up safety zones and talking to campers about how to leave and where to go if they don't want to be arrested.

Among those who left Saturday was Dean Huffman, who had been in the camp 11 days, spending most of his time working in the makeshift kitchen. He said he decided to leave after hearing people in a tent near him talk about becoming disruptive if police start making arrests.

"There is a bad element that has infiltrated Occupy Portland," said Huffman, who recently was laid off from his job at Intel, where he was a product support engineer. But he said he's proud of the movement and of his time spent there, and he thinks it made a valuable point.

"When the politicians fail to take action, they're leaving it to the people to take action, and this is what happens," Huffman said, as he packed his belongings into a small station wagon.

News that the camp was on the verge of shutting down attracted a number of sightseers, including state Rep. Sara Gelser, D-Corvallis, who walked through the parks with two daughters.